CDC launches campaign to educate public about prescription opioid risks

The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention this week launched Rx Awareness, a communications campaign to educate the public about the risks associated with prescription opioids to prevent misuse and overdose. The campaign includes video, audio and online messages featuring real-life accounts of people recovering from opioid use disorder or who have lost loved ones to prescription opioid overdose. Campaign ads will run for 14 weeks in Ohio, Kentucky, Massachusetts, and New Mexico, with additional states planned. CDC also encourages organizations to promote the messages on their social media channels. The AHA and CDC last year released a one-page patient education resource as a tool for hospitals and medical staffs to use in their conversations with patients who may be prescribed opioids.